Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes certain athletes contribute to their team’s shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads.
The NBA Play-In Tournament is a place no team wants to be. It is the ugly middle ground between being a true contender for a championship and being a mediocre team hoping to sneak into the playoffs.
In this no-man’s land of basketball, there are quite a few athletes who decided to force their team backwards and into the offseason.
Sacramento Kings – Domantas Sabonis
Domantas Sabonis is one of the faces of a Sacramento Kings team who has been struggling to find relevance and success since the eras of Oscar Robertson in the 1960s and Chris Webber in the early 2000s. This season, it looks like the Kings’ search for deep playoff success will have to wait, as their season came to an end in an 120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Sabonis had a statline of 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, on 5-13 shooting — which is perfectly fine if it’s a regular season game in January, but not for a three-time all-star in an elimination game.
Atlanta Hawks – Zaccharie Risacher
The former No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft was supposed to be the final piece that the Hawks needed to make a push in the playoffs; a complement to Trae Young, whose 29 points and 11 assists were not enough to beat the Miami Heat in a 123-114 overtime loss.
Risacher’s contribution during the night was 3 points, shooting 1-11 from the field. He had two steals to go along with his zero assists and zero rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks – P.J. Washington
In light of one of the most impactful trades in NBA history — which sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis — along with multiple injuries to key players, the Mavericks were a big question mark going into the tournament.
Despite the heroic efforts of a hobbled Davis, who had 40 points and nine rebounds, no one else on the team showed up. This especially was true for P.J. Washington — unless you count showing up as sending the other team to the free-throw line, as Washington racked up five personal fouls in 27 minutes of playing time. His other contributions included 0 points, six rebounds and three assists.
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Jaden McKelvey-Francis is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
